西非国家经济共同体成立40多年以来，其组织内部进行了多次体制改革，形成了目前同时具有超国家治理和政府间合作双重性质的区域性一体化组织。从结果来看，西非国家经济共同体的一体化机制和政策对西非地区的经济发展起到了有力的推动作用。然而，西非国家经济共同体在其“2020愿景”中所设定的一体化时间表与现实仍有较大差距。其体制必须继续向超国家层面转变，才能更快地实现西非经济联盟这一目标。
Since its establishment more than 40 years ago，ECOWAS has carried out several institutional reforms within its organization，forming a regional integration organization with the dual nature of supra-national governance and intergovernmental cooperation. According to the results，the integration mechanism and policies of ECOWAS have played a powerful role in promoting the economic development of this region. However，the integration schedule set by ECOWAS in its “Vision 2020” still lags far behind the reality. Its system must continue to shift to the supranational level in order to achieve the goal of the West African Economic Union more quickly.
